Consumer Perception and Understanding of Vegetables Produced at Plant Factories with Artificial Lighting
Plant factories with artificial lighting (hereafter PFALs) garner considerable attention around the world as a way to solve problems related to agriculture, resources, and the environment. Although many companies in various regions have entered the PFAL b
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Consumer Perception and Understanding of Vegetables Produced at Plant Factories with Artificial Lighting Yuki Yano, Tetsuya Nakamura, and Atsushi Maruyama
Abstract Plant factories with artificial lighting (hereafter PFALs) garner considerable attention around the world as a way to solve problems related to agriculture, resources, and the environment. Although many companies in various regions have entered the PFAL business, they are faced with numerous technical and business challenges. Although many studies have been undertaken on technical issues concerning PFALs, only a few have been on the business and management aspects, including marketing. However, to succeed in business, understanding consumer perceptions and needs regarding PFALs and their products is essential. This chapter provides a summary of recent studies carried out in Japan and Hong Kong that attempt to explore consumers’ awareness, perceptions, and understanding of leaf vegetables produced at PFALs. These studies also attempt to identify the factors that influence consumers’ impressions of PFALproduced vegetables. Moreover, the chapter contains a brief discussion of the potential demand for the products and the critical importance of marketing activities, such as market research and promotions, and education for the steady development of the PFAL industry. Keywords Consumer perception • Plant factories • Marketing activities • Education • Consumer understanding
Y. Yano (*) • A. Maruyama Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, Matsudo 648, Matsudo City, Chiba 271-8510, Japan e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] T. Nakamura Department of International Business Management, Kyoei University, 4158 Uchimaki, Kasukabe, Saitama 344-0051, Japan © Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016 T. Kozai et al. (eds.), LED Lighting for Urban Agriculture, DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1848-0_25
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Introduction
Plant factories with artificial lighting (hereafter PFALs), which have gained worldwide attention in recent years, are significantly different from traditional horticultural production systems in that the cultivation environment is highly controlled through a computer. By artificially controlling the indoor environment, a PFAL (or vertical farming) can grow high-quality leafy greens anywhere, even in office buildings in the center of a large city (Kozai 2013). New LED technology and special liquid nutrient solutions have made it possible to produce various types of leaf vegetables, such as low-potassium lettuce and vitamin-rich green vegetables, which have never been seen in the market. Moreover, because a multitier system equipped with lighting devices and automatic control system is employed, the productivity per land area and resource use efficiency of PFALs are remarkably higher than those of open-field culture and traditional house culture. Because of these advantages of PFALs over traditional farming methods, many firms are attempting to enter this new market. For example, in Japan, the number of
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